This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application 10-335233, filed Nov. 26, 1998 (MM/DD/YY), which is commonly assigned with the present application and is hereby incorporated by reference. The contents of the present application are not necessarily identical to the contents of the priority document.
1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to an improved data processing system, and in particular to improved management for display devices of a data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and a device for individually changing the power modes (operating modes) of a plurality of display devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
For a conventional computer, and for a notebook computer in particular, a display device is moved to a power saving mode by determining under what conditions the device is being used by a user (e.g., data being entered via a keyboard). However, since the appearance of Microsoft Windows 98(copyright) as a standard, multiple displays of up to a maximum of nine screens can be supported by a personal computer (PC).
In addition, since Windows 98 appeared, screen blanking (screen erasing) can be rejected by an application that uses a new Application Programming Interface (API). However, screen blanking (screen erasing) is established with the assumption that it will mainly be used by a presentation application, and that normally an application will make no unnecessary use of the API. This is recited by Microsoft in the WindowsSDK(copyright) (Windows Software Development Kit).
As a result, only a determination as to whether or not a user is watching the screen of a monitor can be considered to be an effective control factor. However, since a user may not always watch a monitor, even though the monitor may occupy a location within the user""s visual field, this constitutes a proposition for which no universal resolution is available. Therefore, the point in this case is how well this proposition corresponds to a condition that applies to a user.
The easiest mounting method is a method that provides control for all the displays that use the same determination references, which corresponds to the process performed by Windows 98. That is, when a keyboard and a mouse have not been accessed for a specific period of time, all the monitors are moved to the DIM (low power consumption) state in accordance with the operating states (idle states) of the keyboard and the mouse.
According to this mounting method, for a job that primarily involves the typing of a document, all the monitors except for one are uselessly maintained in the ON state. In the current Windows 98(copyright), all the monitors are maintained in the ON state while either the keyboard or the mouse is in use, and in this case, electric power is apparently wasted.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications No. Hei 6-83491 and No. Hei 7-302138 describe current approaches to the problem described. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 6-83491, commonly assigned, with the present application, to International Business Machines Corp., discloses a technique for collecting power consumption associated data for a plurality of computer components, and for minimizing the power consumption by the computer accordingly.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 7-302138 (applicant: Cannon Corp.) discloses a technique for storing, for each application, history data for the accessing of individual devices, and for executing a power down function in accordance with the application and the devices.
However, nothing in the art, or in these references in particular, teaches or suggests a method for controlling the power supply to individual display devices according to the what each display device is displaying.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an improved data processing system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide improved management for display devices of a data processing system.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method and system for individually changing the power modes (operating modes) of a plurality of display devices.
The foregoing objects are achieved as is now described. Specifically, the positions of a mouse pointer and of an active window, as well as the operating state of a keyboard/mouse, is used to determine the power state of each display in a multiple-display system. A system in accordance with the preferred embodiment includes only one of each of two resources (an active window and a mouse pointer). The positions of the resources on a plurality of screens are determined, and when they have not been displayed on a specific monitor for a specific period of time, that monitor is moved to a low power consumption mode (a low power operating state). Since, when a user of a system using multiple monitors is creating a document with a word processor, only one monitor is normally required, other monitors may be put in a low-power state, even though full use is being made of the keyboard/mouse.
The above as well as additional objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description.